Tottenham Hotspur are under increasing pressure going into the North London Derby.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino must be tempted to start both Ben Davies and Jan Vertonghen against Arsenal now, but there is still a question mark over whether they are sharp enough.
Spurs head into the North London Derby under big pressure, following a shock defeat to Newcastle United last weekend.
Tottenham’s poor form throughout the whole of 2019 has been brought into sharp focus since that loss, and Pochettino’s side have significant problems which need addressing.
Tottenham’s struggles to break teams down that sit deep have become a concern, but their defensive performances are also a worry.
Spurs have opted to pick both Danny Rose and Davinson Sanchez regularly this season, but the pair have not started well.
Rose’s final ball has been poor and when required to defend, he has not been up to the task.
Sanchez, meanwhile, has been partly at fault for at least three of the goals which Tottenham have already conceded this term.
Pochettiino must now be considering whether to use Davies at left-back and Vertonghen at centre-back, but his decision to overlook them so far this term could prove costly.
Although Davies is a solid covering option, he has not started a game yet this campaign, so cannot be fully match sharp.
The same issue comes with Vertonghen, who has been bizarrely dropped from Tottenham’s team.
Vertonghen is arguably Spurs’s best defender, but Pochettino has left him on the sidelines for the entirety of the season so far.
And if the duo are picked to start on Sunday, then Tottenham will really be throwing them both in at the deep end, as they look to lift the gloom forming around Hotspur Way.
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